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MH Equipment Blog

The end of today marks the 103 day (and counting!) of being injury and accident free, beating our previous company record of 100 days. Each MH Equipment employee is proof that being Safe in the Moment can eliminate injuries.

If we can be safe for 100 days- we can be safe for another 100 and eventually a whole year. This goal is not out of reach, and we can acheive by being Safe in the Moment.

Also, a congratulations is in order for our Lexington branch for reaching one year injury free. We now have 20 branches that have gone one year or longer without any injuries.

Continue to read our safety posts every Thursday to help you and yours be Safe in the Moment. By practicing and encouraging safety, you too can acheive safety milestones.

OSHA estimates that 1 million forklifts are used in workplaces across the United States. Each year, nearly 100 workers are killed and another 20,000 are seriously injured in forklift related incidents. The number one deadly danger is forklift turnovers. Almost one out of every four fatalities occurs when a forklift tips over. Forklifts can easily tip if they are overloaded, if the load is not well balances, or it they travel with the forks too high.

There are many news stories containing details about forklift accidents, yet many don’t make the news. Forklift accidents don’t just occur at the workplace- they can happen anytime, anywhere. Just this past Sunday, a 5 year old girl was killed while she and 5 other children were riding a forklift when the road gave way and the forklift rolled.

Operator training isn’t the only solution to preventing forklift accidents. Barrett C. Miller at safety-engineer.com wrote a great forklift safety article about how 25% of accidents are not caused by the operator, but by controllable environmental factors. In order to eliminate hazards and design a safe operating environment, we need to understand the real cause of forklift accidents.

Here are a few tips to preventing forklift accidents:

This is not an exhaustive list on how to prevent forklift accidents. Operator training is still a crucial component in accident prevention. If you or yours needs operator training, visit our website.

If you find this article useful, please consider sharing it. If you haven’t, subscribe to our blog to get notifications of our posts.

The Ottumwa Branch was established in 1989 under a contract to service John Deere. MH Equipment acquired the facility in 2000. The employees work out of a 6800 square foot building focusing on servicing Cargill and John Deere. The Ottumwa business climate is a lot different than the other MH branches. The southeast Iowa business community is a very tight knit group that works with each other to serve the needs of southeast Iowa.

The Ottumwa Branch is located on the Des Moines River. During 1993 and 2008, the river rose to flood stage threatening the facility, but both times they narrowly escaped. With amazing effort, the community banded together in time of crisis to help each other out.

A little piece of trivia about Ottumwa is that according to the hit TV show MASH, Radar O’Reilly was from Ottumwa, Iowa. Venders from all over the United States often ask the employees at the branch about that. Actually, the actor was not from Ottumwa, the show just portrayed Radar to be a farm boy from Iowa.

The Ottumwa Branch has nine employees including six technicians. The branch works well together. At the end of each day the employees do what is needed to accomplish what needs to be done. Ottumwa Branch has a large rental fleet and territory size with upward of forty to fifty pieces out at a time. The Ottumwa Branch ran a market share on truck sales of over 90% this year. Way to go Ottumwa!

“More customers are looking to get out of maintaining equipment — the maintenance side of the business — and focus on their core-building equipment,” said Rick Stearns, who serves as the Davenport branch manager.

The company has a solid client base that includes big names like Deere, Hon and Monsanto.

That keeps MH Equipment looking for new ways to grow its business. This year is off to a great start. Since maintenance makes up nearly half its business, the company is moving ahead by fine-tuning its focus.

“Complacency in our industry just won’t work,” said General Marketing Manager Dannelle Dahlhauser. “We need to continue to grow within a changing business environment.”

While other manufacturers downsize and do more with less, MH Equipment continues to grow. Despite a sales dip during 2009, it expects a 15% staffing increase in Davenport.

That means more hands-on jobs for mechanics and technicians, who service Hyster equipment and other brands both in-house and on location. With on-the-job training, it turns into a good opportunity for qualified job seekers. One that also helps clients.

“We really try to go out there and determine what their needs are,” Dahlhauser said. “Really help them be successful with their fleet and with their business as well.”

A business that naturally has its ups-and-downs with forklifts is mostly climbing these days.

“Our connection with the people makes us more than a company to work for,” said Stearns. “It’s more like a family.”

Driving drowsy can be as dangerous as drunk driving. An estimated 100,000 crashes are caused each year by drowsy drivers. Sleep deprivation is equal to and in some cases greater than alcohol and its’ effects on driving ability. Everyone knows that it’s a poor choice to drink and drive, we we rarely are conscious of driving while sleep deprived. Lack of sleep is also a safety hazard while on the job. Impaired judgment and slower reaction time can lead to an injury. A few weeks ago, we blogged about how staying healthy helps prevent injuries. Part of being healthy is getting enough sleep.

Lack of sleep can cause:

Enough sleep is essentional to:

Sleep experts offer some recommendations for how to maximize your ability to have a deep, restful sleep.

Some more facts and statistics about driving drowsy are available, here.

The Decatur Branch was established in September of 1996 with one full time technician. Today the branch has grown to 5 full time Technicians, a Parts Clerk, a Service Manager/Rental Coordinator, 2 Aftermarket Salesmen and one Unit Salesman. The Decatur Branch handles all service equipment needs, dock and battery & charger repairs, rentals and aftermarket sales as well as new equipment.

Decatur, IL is a small town with a big history. It was founded in 1823 and was named after The War of 1812 naval hero Stephen Decatur, Jr. The city is noted as being called “The Soybean Capital of the World”. President Abraham Lincoln was the most notable resident who settled with his family west of town in 1830. Decatur hosts the largest street festival in the state of Illinois. Every year over 150,000 people come to the celebration to enjoy live bands, vendors and fun activities for the whole family. The Decatur branch donates rental units for use at the festival as well.

Decatur was the original home of the Chicago Bears from 1919 to 1920. The football team was then known as the Decatur Staleys and played at Staley Field. An area of interest close by is the Macon County Speedway which opened in 1946. It is now owned by Bob Sargent, NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Tony Stewart.

The Decatur branch has sponsored the Champaign Dream Team which is a youth baseball team. They truly enjoy their sports! The branch enjoys NASCAR racing, cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals, and watching the Illini football and basketball teams.

Here are a few interesting tidbits about the branch employees. Jerry Lutz brings in the best treats including a taco dip and Christmas treats. The “Go to Geek” at the branch would be Tom Owen. Shaun Lyon was voted most likely to send to the reality TV show “Survivor” because he has a short fuse and is up for any challenge thrown at him. Ron Stedman achieved the title “Best Sense of Humor” because he always makes conversation by making jokes or remarks to make the day more enjoyable.

Service Manager, Michelle Hamilton does a great job keeping the branch running smoothly. Thanks Decatur!

When we first started blogging, we wrote about the standards we hold when working with customers, and the value of exceptional customer service. The words we live by have shaped our business and the relationships we hold with customers, each and every day.

The following is a testimonial from our website:

“We have been customers of MH Equipment for all most 10 yrs. The last week explains why. In the last week, the Decatur office has helped us keep our 5 trucks running after several unexpected breakdowns. Michele relayed I was experiencing a problem to MH Equipment technician Shawn. Shawn called me back and talked me through enough diagnosing to get the truck running again. Shawn followed up with me later in the day to confirm that the truck was still running. I had PM’s scheduled for other trucks when a problem developed with one of those trucks. I called Shawn because the office was closed. He relayed the message to Michele who inturn made sure the needed parts were on the truck coming to do the PM’s. Craig has also helped me locate parts from old outdated part #’s and has had them in my warehouse the next day. You should be extremely proud of your staff in Decatur. They are doing a great job. In this day and age of poor or no customer service, MH in Decatur is a bright spot that other companies wish they could match. ”

Lenny Little Precision Soya Farmer City, IL

MH Equipment has provided excellent customer service and top quality products for over 50 years. Throughout those years, we have built close relationships with many of our customers across all of our locations. We would love to hear about your relationship with MH Equipment and our products and services we offer. Please share your story by filling out the customer survey on our website.

Hand injuries are avoidable if we are being Safe in the Moment. The most important thing is to make sure you and your employees know where both hands are at all times while working. Many injuries occur when you or yours are working with one hand, but forget where the other hand is, and it strays into a danger zone.

It may sound weird to ‘forget’ where your hand is, but there are statistics to prove that hand injuries are not uncommon. In a 2006 study done by Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding non fatal injuries, they cited that out of a total of 380,440 injuries reported by good producing industries, 110,480 were injuries to the upper extremities (wrist, hand (except finger) and finger). Finger injuries were the highest out of the upper extremities.

To avoid hand safety, here are a list of our do’s and don’ts.

DO:

DON’T:

OSHA has a great amputation factsheet with information about the most common hazardous conditions and machine motions, OSHA standards and how to protect workers from amputation.

The Hyster dealership in Erie, PA was established in the early 1960’s. MH Equipment acquired the Erie facility in 2003 and is the fifth and by far the “best” owner. Currently sixteen employees work at the branch including ten on site technicians.

Erie’s cornerstone customer is General Electric Transportation. General Electric manufactures locomotives, wind power, and off highway equipment. The Erie branch services their entire mobile fleet from personnel carriers to over-the-road tractor trailers. Of course, we also service their material handling equipment which is over 550 pieces of equipment. The dealership has had a presence at G.E. since 1972.

MH Equipment services Erie County, Pennsylvania and Ashtabula County, Ohio. Because of our unique location next to 5 sets of railroad tracks we always have train noise to contend with but we like (GE) trains.

Nearby areas of interest include Presque Isle State Park that has close to 6 miles of beaches and excellent Walleye, Perch, Bass and Lake Trout fishing. Presque Isle Downs and Casino is a new addition to the area. The Erie Seawolves is the minor league baseball team in town. Erie has become a destination point for many vacationers from all around the country. However, winters in Erie can be a little trying at times. Last winter, the snow started in mid October of 2008 and our last snowfall was in mid April 2009 with a total snowfall of 146”.

The majority of the employees’ favorite sports team would be the Black & Gold (sorry Iowa it’s not the Hawkeyes) and one person in the office roots for the Mets. Erie’s veteran employees are William McShane 37 yrs; Mike Estok 34 yrs; George Eckard 30 yrs; Dave Fuchs 30 yrs; Keith Braddock 24 yrs; Ty Loucks 15 yrs and Paul Markham 12 yrs. Thank you Erie, for all those years of service!

We take a lot of pride in our Hyster equipment, but we can’t overlook our line of high qualityV. Mariotti forklifts and lift trucks. Below, is a video of one of our Mariotti trucks. It is, indeed, the world’s smallest operator on-board lift truck. Check it out.

Whether or not you or yours have had any injuries (recently, or at all this year), keep your guard up. Post safety reminders in the shop, around the office, or where ever you think they will get the most use.

The Bowling Green Branch was acquired by MH Equipment in 2001. It is surrounded by many attractions such as the Corvette plant and museum, Mammoth Cave National Park, Beechbend Raceway, Kentucky Downs, and a minor league baseball team called the Hotrods. Western Kentucky University sits close by and you can almost hear the branch fans yelling “Go Big Red!”

The branch loves the Food Network and the most popular sport among the staff is NASCAR. When asked, “Who among those at your branch would you send to participate on the reality show “Survivor”? They chose Don Stinson because in his spare time he trims trees as side work and climbs without a rope. Don is also the great fisherman of the group. He has entered several fishing tournaments and won thousands of dollars as well as a fishing boat.

Here are a few interesting tidbits about the staff. These come with a disclaimer…they had fun!

The Bowling Green Branch emphasizes that they are a team. Everyone is like family and they look out for each other. Way to go BG!

In sales, persistence pays off. Just ask Hersh Atkinson, account rep at the Columbus, Ohio, branch of MH Equipment (Mossville, IL), who had been calling on a large distributor of glass and adhesive products for almost 10 years before finally getting a foot in the door in 2009. “It was a matter of getting the attention of the right people,” Atkinson says. “The decision-makers were closed-minded about the equipment they had on hand and always wanted to stay with the existing vendors. When some new people came on board, they were willing to listen to alternatives.”

The customer was building a large distribution center and put the project out for bid. Atkinson was included on the bid list and went to work preparing a solution. The project included sit-down electric lift trucks for loading and unloading trucks and placing products in racks, as well as reach trucks and order pickers for order fulfillment.

Atkinson worked with Hyster Company to round up one of each model of truck that the customer wanted and delivered them to the East Coast location with the help of another Hyster dealer in the area. “You’re only as good as your service after the sale, so our partner dealer was instrumental in delivery and proving that we could support the customer’s needs,” Atkinson says.

All the hard work paid off with an order of more than 30 trucks worth more than $500,000. Once Atkinson was awarded the deal, he had an eight-week window to build and deliver the units. “That was a challenge for the factory, but the whole team at Hyster pulled through and made it happen,” Atkinson says.

The customer was so happy with Atkinson and MH that they have since ordered a subsequent project of similar size. Just goes to show what a little persistence can do.